Kittens survive alleged dumping, group looking for tips

Several of the kittens recovered. Picture from the Facebook page set up for donations and information.

Four newborn kittens are doing OK after someone apparently dumped them in a grocery bag, tied it up and left it near a garbage can in Jacksonville.

That’s according to Flo Bryant, the director of the city-based Dog P.E.N. rescue shelter. She says the newborn kittens were picked up by Animal Control after being dumped outside a Walgreen’s early Tuesday morning.

“The guy went out and I think he was going to put it in the garbage can, and it was moving. That’s when they called the pound,” says Bryant. “The pound is collecting money via Facebook for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators, and if they cannot find them, the money will go to APL.”

Bryant’s Dog P.E.N. organization originally took in the kittens, but the APL, or Animal Protective League in Springfield, took them in because they had a nursing mother cat capable of feeding them.

Bryant says several hundred dollars have been raised so far, and speaking of a sizable amount of money, that’s what the perpetrators will have to pony up if they’re found.

“It is a very serious offense to dump a domestic animal. Even one is subject to fine; I think it’s a $500 to $2,100 fine,” she says.